“Honestly, I was surprised to see him remotely alive in the first place.” Ovailia’s voice was high and filled with fury.
I had known I couldn’t avoid this confrontation for long. Instead of walking into the ruins of Rioseco to find just Joclyn and I, Ovailia had found two others – both of which she had thought to be dead. Thom and Dramin, one her brother and the other the son of her former mate.
Our eyes met and I refused to pull away, the intensity of our stares grew as each second passed. Given where she had just come from, this conversation could easily be used to my advantage – something I definitely needed in this game of cat and mouse that my father had set up.
I carefully fisted the burn on my hand, keeping it out of sight. Ovailia had laid her cards in front of me. I needed to play mine right, if I was going to get us out of this then everything to do with the Black Water needed to stay hidden for my round to play out properly. Joclyn being a Drak was our greatest asset at this point, it was not information I would ever willingly hand over to Ovailia. Each of us continued to weigh our options as we danced around each other in a silent tango.
“Is she alive?” Ryland’s accusatory voice was barely louder than a whisper but it broke the tension between Ovailia and me.
“Yes, I just put her to sleep,” I answered quickly, not able to focus on Ryland’s misplaced worry.
“Why isn’t she waking up, Ilyan?” Ryland’s panicked voice cut through the silence as he shook her shoulders.
I turned toward him, my frustration flaring at his questions. Had he not noticed what had just happened? Did he not care that the man who had saved him was fighting for his life?
I brushed my irritation at his selfishness away. His hands were wrapped around hers as he whispered to her. I thought I had been prepared for this sight, but I was surprised by the uncomfortable thunk that sounded deep within my ironclad heart. I dutifully ignored it, instead moving toward them with my back straight and stoic, in my usual way.
“I am keeping her asleep, Ryland.”
“Wake her up!” he demanded, his desperation making him edgy. “I need to see her.”
Ryland ran his hand over her hair, his fingers touching the skin of her face as he looked at me, waiting for me to act.
“I am not sure that is wise.” Ryland’s eyes widened at my response, my curiosity at his odd behavior peaking. “She just tried to kill you, Ryland.”
He looked at me for only a minute before looking away, moving down to place his forehead against hers. I felt the pressure against my own head, and shook it off, surprised the bridge was still there even though I no longer had contact with her.
“She didn’t mean it.” Ryland’s voice was heavy and low, his words spoken more to Joclyn than to me.
I looked toward Ovailia, expecting to receive some support, but she only looked back with a wicked gleam in her eye that I had only seen once before. The shine in her eyes prickled at my better judgment in warning.
“She woke up only a moment before you came in...”
“I know,” Ryland interrupted me. “Thom told us she was sleeping before. She was just confused. She didn’t know she had woken up. I need to tell her she is all right, Ilyan. Please. Let me do that.”
I felt my protective instinct flare at his words, the desire to push him away from her strong and growing. “Why would she have need to attack you in a T?uha, Ryland?”
His eyes widened, they drifted from Ovailia to me uncomfortably, as if he was unsure what to say or how much he was allowed to reveal. The gesture made me wary, my fear rising quickly within me. I had always counted on Ryland standing with me. He had gone out of his way multiple times to save me, to save Joclyn. He knew what her purpose was in this life, and yet I could see the doubt in his eyes when he looked at me. He doubted that he could trust me, that I was telling the truth. The look triggered my own doubts about the situation, and I looked toward Ovailia, my eyes hardening.
Ryland’s body stiffened, the large muscles in his shoulders bulging beneath his blue polo shirt. My body prickled as my magic flared in expectation of an outburst.
“She wouldn’t... I mean...” Ryland’s fingers began to dig into Joclyn’s skin, his grip tightening with every word. “If you saw what he made us do... I mean... YOU CAN’T HAVE HER!” His voice roared, making the glass in the window rattle, his magic erupting out of him. The whirlwind of power circled through the room, ripping blankets, pictures, and ornaments out of their places.
“SHE’S MINE!” Ryland yelled only a second later, as the torrent continued, his hands digging into her, little drops of her blood trailing at his fingertips.
That was enough. Seeing her blood was all it took for my instincts to kick in, for my heart to thump for her safety. My magic surged as I threw him away from her, his body slamming into the stone wall of my suite where I restrained him.